Maintenance Justice

Are you sure it's the chain and not the freewheel mechanism of the hub? If it's doing it with multiple chains, perfect chain line and different tensioners then I would look at the hub to rule that out too

Surprisingly comfortable, big 2.8 tyres take the edge off and plenty of give in the fork. You take on Rocky descents by skipping about like a mountain goat rather than plowing through, it’s well good fun!

Finally got my new frame set. All City Electric Queen, fully rigid steel frame, single speed, 27+ (or 29). Wanted to take a big sidestep from the industry mantra and get something I actually wanted to ride. Loving it so far!

Really cool video, hypnotic is how I’d describe it. You sit there getting drawn in then something like 2:20min and 6:17min comes along and you have to do a double take! Definitely want to see more from you both along the same lines

Really good fun to watch, everything flowed really nicely, soundtrack worked well. Top job

Watch a few of his vids on YouTube it’s just insane, I wonder if modern comp bikes would take those kind of drops!

I have now. “Ima call security, that’s a $9000 Gorilla” is the best line from any MTB film ever and Ryan Leech’s first missed gap to rail was terrifying to watch! Baggy jeans are due a comeback.

I spotted @Ali C s post on Instagram recently digging up some classic Trials Videos such as ‘Tricks and Stunts’ and ‘Hibernation’ I’ve also been watching videos of Craig Lee Scott and bits of Neil Tunnicliffe. Being new to Trials I kinda feel like I’ve missed this huge decade of progression and inspiration for so many current riders. I grew up riding MTB with videos like Dirt, New World Disorder and the Drop In Tv series providing the inspiration to ride and I want to see what I missed in the Trials scene! Don’t get me wrong, Jack Carthy, Ali Clarkson, Charlie Rolls, Tomomi Nishikubo etc blow my mind but how did we get here?! Where did up to fronts come in? Who was the king of drop gaps? Ryan Leech was a pioneer with Manifesto but who else was at the beginning riding street? I’d love some recommendations for classic films and ‘edits’ to check out to see how the sport has progressed and watch those iconic short films. It doesn’t have to be big titles, even shorts that have some quality riding would be great like Flipps videos. Maybe there’s some of you guys back in the days of VHS!

I can relate:

In work today to do a bit of catch and spent an hour afterward working on side hops. These and pedal hops seem to be the techniques taking time to progress. I’ve had it explained in some detail how to side hops properly (weak foot facing the platform) but this is one of my things that I need to do the ‘wrong’ way (strong foot facing the platform). I practiced the right way a lot but it always felt against the grain so I decided to do it this way and it works for me. I found being able to load my weight onto my strong foot before jumping and kicking a lot more stable allowing me to get the pop I need and control the path of the back wheel better. I’ll continue learning both ways but I think this way will be my ticket to bigger heights. I could barely manage 3 pallets comfortably the right way, I surprised Myself that I could get up 4! The lesson? Try different approaches!

In work today to do a bit of catch and spent an hour afterward working on side hops. These and pedal hops seem to be the techniques taking time to progress. I’ve had it explained in some detail how to side hops properly (weak foot facing the platform) but this is one of my things that I need to do the ‘wrong’ way (strong foot facing the platform). I practiced the right way a lot but it always felt against the grain so I decided to do it this way and it works for me. I found being able to load my weight onto my strong foot before jumping and kicking a lot more stable allowing me to get the pop I need and control the path of the back wheel better. I’ll continue learning both ways but I think this way will be my ticket to bigger heights. I could barely manage 3 pallets comfortably the right way, I surprised Myself that I could get up 4! The lesson? Try different approaches!

I’ve been meaning to work on bigger back wheel gaps and decided yesterday to just go for it. I’ve felt for a while I could probably do it I’ve just never tried it! Just goes to show sometimes you’ve just got to give it a try. Pallets helped a lot with this, so much better to move the distance to suit then inch it bigger, gaps like this in the real world seem hard to find that are relatively safe. I also found it easier with a take off platform an inch or two taller than the landing. A couple of things I quickly learned: 1- I needed to be as close to the edge of the take off as possible, that extra bounce from the edge compressing the tyre helps loads and physiologically having your front wheel that bit closer makes a difference. 2- Maximum effort! I really needed to drop the front end low and commit to a big kick to get the pop and drive to make the gap. As Ads pointed out the lower the front wheel the harder you can kick without looping out. I need to work on getting this movement smoother and quicker. On landing and watching the video back I need to compress into the landing more, you can see I get thrown off balance a bit when my knees stop bending. For gaps to rails and walls this is going to be important!

I’ve been meaning to work on bigger back wheel gaps and decided yesterday to just go for it. I’ve felt for a while I could probably do it I’ve just never tried it! Just goes to show sometimes you’ve just got to give it a try. Pallets helped a lot with this, so much better to move the distance to suit then inch it bigger, gaps like this in the real world seem hard to find that are relatively safe. I also found it easier with a take off platform an inch or two taller than the landing. A couple of things I quickly learned: 1- I needed to be as close to the edge of the take off as possible, that extra bounce from the edge compressing the tyre helps loads and physiologically having your front wheel that bit closer makes a difference. 2- Maximum effort! I really needed to drop the front end low and commit to a big kick to get the pop and drive to make the gap. As Ads pointed out the lower the front wheel the harder you can kick without looping out. I need to work on getting this movement smoother and quicker. On landing and watching the video back I need to compress into the landing more, you can see I get thrown off balance a bit when my knees stop bending. For gaps to rails and walls this is going to be important!

I feel compelled to add another after the past couple of days commuting: drivers who feel the need to overtake a motorbike with L plates at any opportunity. For context I’ve been ‘overtaken’ by two cars recently both in a totally reckless way, I ride a decent size 125 with L plates, ok it’s a small bike but it’s still quicker than most cars off the line and up to about 40. The first was in a 30 zone with me travelling at the upper end of the limit which you have to on a bike otherwise people sit on your wheel with no braking distance. I don’t want to be picked out of a land rover grill any time soon. This guy sat on my wheel as I gently upped the speed to a decent price ticket and decided to boot it past me up to a blind bend next to a T junction with chevrons. The second was pulling off a roundabout onto a 60 road, I wound it on up to nearly sixty and then a huge suv bombed past me and again on chevrons at a junction before slamming on the brakes into a wet corner on a single carriage way road. WHY. Why do they do it? I never lost sight of either car and then overtook whilst they sat in traffic. I don’t get it, I’m constantly held up by slow moving cars and you’re always on the interesting side of speed limits on a bike and so never a hinderance to traffic. I don’t get it, maybe L plates are like a red flag to certain drivers...

It's a good looking bike and I applaud the effort and thought gone into converting it to tubeless. I'm glad someone out there has the drive to try these things so we can read about it! I'm very tempted to try and source a lefty fork from a Cannondale Hooligan just because...

The Jitsie pads are a softer compound than a 'regular' rim brake pad so will be noisier. Toeing in is an old school set up method to limit brake noise and give the brake a more 'progressive' feel. It's usually used for cheaper rim brakes these days, modern brakes are much stiffer and the brake pads too so they don't vibrate any where near as much which is what causes the noise. For Trials it doesn't make a great deal of sense as it will make the brake a little spongy and the pad will be deforming when you pull the brake hard. You will also wear the brake pads unevenly and have to keep toeing them in as they wear. I'd try some standard rim brake pads in a black rubber compound and set them up normally with no toe in and see how you go. They won't bite anywhere near as well as the Jitsie pads but will be a bit quieter for learning manuals. Once you have the technique down you probably won't use the back brake much and can go back to the Jitsie pads. If your rim is ground or anodised it will be noisy no matter what brake pads or set up you run especially with soft compound pads -I'd also see how much play is in the brake arms, if there is a lot they will vibrate a lot under braking causing the noise.

Agreed - this is one of those vids that would've looked great in the style of 'Follow Me' with another rider behind and perhaps a go pro on the back of Gee to give the speed and size of the jumps some better persepective with a rider following.

Back at Tarty HQ this morning for some practice. Started with Replacements, really struggled with these initially but a change to technique has made a massive difference: 1- Start with the object to your weak foot side = more room to move and less to travel 2- Use edges on the front or rear wheel to get extra bounce 3- Use only the front brake! I was using the back too and it kinda stifles your hop, like you are working against yourself I've also been working on my back wheel precision hopping to smaller platforms getting ready to try narrow walls and rails. I'm getting better with side hops but more work needed on technique there, I'm not getting enough pop. I know now my front wheel needs to drop more and to drive the back wheel like a pedal hop but lean into ths platform to get things moving in the right direction.

Been a while since I posted - I've been working on wheelie hops still. I was OK at them but something wasn't right, I've been shown a different technique starting with leading foot higher in the stroke and leaning back to throw your body weight forward to gain momentum. It works! I can get up 3 pallets quite easily. I'm going to really up the stakes this weekend... I've also massively improved my replacements but I properly ruined my back in doing so! I'll try and get some vids up of those later. Lastly I swapped my bars to the Trialtech Carbon Risers which have made the bike much more stable.

Definitely his best video to date, feels like he was given full reign to get a bit more experimental with big moves. I know he's a great rider, this is the first vid that really shows it for him

Cars with loud exhausts. I mean, if your car has a tuned engine and genuinely warrants a specific exhaust for flow rates or whatever or is a sports car of enough merit to warranty a sporty exhuast then fine. I undestand some may get a kick out of a car that sounds sporty but surely the whole point of being "into" cars is for a specific look or performance, I just don't get making a car look and sound modded when it's actually just a nissan in drag. If you're driving about in a fiesta with a stock standard engine and an exhaust that sounds like a 300 decibel fart you can get in the sea.

Riding Heinz in Wigan with Cap, some big gaps and my pedal hops are getting better

Agreed, a local shop used to have them alongside Handsome dog completes and I thought they were awesome as a kid! A £450 - £500 Street and comp bike in the hands of a talented riders all over social would be great to see but sadly production costs and unit sales are a big barrier to overcome.

Onza moved to distribution with Moore Large and they fazed out Trials Bikes from their range due to lack of units being sold apparently. These days they focus on MTB. A shame really, the industry could do with a cheap decent gateway bike for young or first time riders